My letter to Wales Online on Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day provides an opportunity for all of us to look at the lessons from the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and recent genocides and apply them to the present day to create a safer, better future.

This year's theme of "Keeping the memory alive" comes at a particularly important time as 27th January 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Earlier this month, Nick Clegg became the first party leader to announce he would ensure that any future government including the Liberal Democrats would safeguard funding for the "Lessons from Auschwitz" project.

The project means every school and college in the country has the opportunity to send two students aged 16 to 18 to see for themselves what they would otherwise only read about in books or see on television.

This £9million funding until 2020 would provide for 14 projects and 3,000 students every year for five years, so a further 15,000 students are able to take part.

Remembering the Holocaust is not just of historical importance: it should make us think about anti-Semitism now, and extremism of all kinds.

I am very proud that the Lib Dems have taken steps to ensure the memory of the Holocaust is safeguarded for our young people through this fund, and this week I have pledged my commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons to honour those who perished in the Holocaust.